Us Vs World
by 4everbrisingr
Summary: Because up until that point, it had been Dally against the whole world. And then she comes into his life, but appearances aren't everything. And everybody's got a secret they don't want to share. Dally x OC.
1. Chapter 1 part 1

Us vs. World

1 (part 1)

Ashton Keagan

The Dingo was especially crowded on nights like this. It was Friday, everyone was out getting a drink and hanging with friends. It had definitely not been a good night for me. Normally, I loved Fridays, but today, Bill had broken up with me, and of course he had to do it the day the Dingo was most crowded. Not that I cared, they could stare. And Bill had been a jerk anyways.

I watched three boys walking in, laughing. One of them spotted me, and grinned, pointing. I groaned inwardly as they headed over to me, the one who had pointed in the lead. All three were smirking. I stood up and was about to walk out of the booth when they blocked my way. I looked up at them. The one in the lead was still smirking.

"Where ya headin' to so fast?" I stood up taller.

"Shut your trap and leave me alone. "One of the other boys grinned and elbowed the other in the ribs. They exchanged smirks.

"Well," the boy in the lead said, "I'm Dally. What's your name, broad?"

I glared at him. "So you're Dallas Winston then."

Dally looked surprised, but quickly hid it with a sneer. "Heard of me before then, have you?

Yeah," I replied. "Heard the fuzz goin' on about a Dallas Winston slashing someone's tires.

You should see my record sometime, baby." Dally said, helping himself to my Coke.

I took it from him and set it down. "Don't."

One of the boys behind Dally grinned at me. "Fiery, huh? You'd better watch it."

I turned my glare on him. "_You'd _better watch it."

Dally laughed out loud "Tim, you'd better watch it! That broad looks dangerous!"

I turned my attention back to him. "This _broad_ has a name, you know.

Well, shoot, you didn't tell me when I asked," Dally replied, pushing me back into the booth and sitting down, giving me no way to escape.

"Well, I was too busy figuring out who you were. The name's Ash, by the way."

Dally picked up my Coke again and took a sip. "Ash, huh? What's that short for, Ashley?"

I snorted. "For Pete's sake, no. My full name's Ashton, but everyone calls me Ash."

Dally drained the last of my Coke. The other two boys, Tim and a rusty haired guy with a Mickey Mouse shirt sat down across from us.

Dally grinned at a passing waiter. "Three Cokes. You want another?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yeah, 'cause you drank mine."

Dally looked back up at the waiter, who was waiting expectantly for our order. "Make that four Cokes." The waiter nodded and walked off.

"So," Dally said, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Why you here all alone?" I shrugged him off and concentrated on the wood grain pattern on the table, ignoring him. Dally indifferently began talking to the other two boys.

"Two-Bit, Soda and Steve still at the DX?" I looked at the boy in the Mickey Mouse shirt. He must be Two-Bit then, I thought. But who're Soda and Steve?

Two-Bit's voice dragged me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, they'll be back soon though. I think Johnnycake's back at the house with Pony and Darry; we gotta meet 'em there."

I smiled to myself. "Strange names these boys have got. So far, there's Two-Bit, Soda, and Pony. Soda and Pony, who names their kids that? Still, they weren't bad names. Kind of a shock at first, but still nice. Very original. I started slightly as Dally spoke again.

"Ash…Ash…broad!" It took me a second to figure out he was talking to me. I looked up.

Dally grinned. "So, you answer to broad, but not Ash?"

I glared at him. "Shut your trap, Winston."

Just then the waiter came back with our Cokes. Dally took one and offered it to me. I tried to take it, but he held on. "Under one condition. You gotta come back and meet the gang."

I stared at him. "Why?"

He sighed."Soda's been a little down lately, since his girl moved to Florida. Darry's stressed out from working and taking care of them. The rest of us are all down now, 'cause we're a gang, and gangs stick by each other. We're all trying to cheer Soda and Darry up. We could use a broad's help."

I looked at him incredulously."So you're telling me I have to go meet your gang after I just met you? And what's 'we could use a broad's help' supposed to mean?!"

Two-Bit grinned. "Well..."

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'll get my own Coke, thanks."

Dally sighed and looked at Two- Bit and Tim. "All right, broad, listen. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Which would you prefer?" Tim asked, standing up. I caught the wink from him, and smiled slightly, playing along.

"Bring it on."

Tim raised his voice slightly. "Come on, we've got this one cornered!" A few people looked at us. Dally and Two-Bit stood up menacingly.

I got up and looked them straight in the eye. "Just you try it." I spoke even louder than Tim had. More people were looking at us, some in fear, but most of them were excited. I could hear murmurs of 'fight' going through the crowd slowly gathering around our booth. I glanced at the boys next to me. I could see this is what they had wanted to start. Harmless old excitement. One of my favorite things to do. Well, when I could, of course. Dally took a step closer to me. I was already against the wall in the booth, so all I could do was to raise my fists.

Dally flashed a quick grin at me. "Ready? Can you fight?" I smirked. "Of course." He smiled a threw a quick punch skillfully aimed to not hit me but look as if he had tried to. Quick as lightning, I stuck back. Two-Bit and Tim then sprang into action. Tim dove onto the table toward me, while Two-Bit came around to help Dally. I chanced a quick look behind me. There was a low wall between our booth and the next, not a high jump. Dally saw my intention.

"Over?" He murmered. I gave him a slight nod, and vaulted over the wall into the booth, startling some people nearby. Tim and Dally vaulted over the wall quickly, while Two-Bit came around the other side to block my way out. I dodged his arm, and sped toward the door. Running out, I turned back towards the door, where Dally, Two-Bit, and tim were walking out calmly. Dally raised his hand for a high-five.

"You dig okay, baby." I smirked, slapping his raised hand. "Not bad yourself, Winston." The few people that had followed us out went back inside, realizing it was all a setup. Tim grinned at me cheerfully. "Coke, anyone?" I laughed. "Shoot, Tim, you snatched the Coke?" He handed them out as we lounged on a nearby bench.

"So, Ash, you gonna meet the gang?" Dally asked.

I nodded. "I think so. Anything weird though, and you're deady!"

Dally adopted a frightened expression. "Oh no, the cops! You gonna set the fuzz on us?"

I leaned back and took a deep breath. "Oh, you won't have to deal with them. You'll have to deal with me."

Tim and Two-Bit choked into their Cokes. I glared at them. "What's wrong with that, Tim and _Two-Bit_?" I emphasized the last word.

Two-Bit grinned. "Wanna know how I got my nickname?"

I nodded. "Not every day you meet a guy named Two-Bit."

"Well, I always have to get my two bits in, so Two-Bit's what they call me."

Dally grinned. "His real name's Keith Mathews, but no one ever remembers that. Everyone knows him as Two-Bit."

Tim got up, finishing the last of his Coke. "I gotta go. Gang's waitin' for me. We're having a fight with a couple of Socs. Nothin' big, we won't need help."

Dally got up. "We should be leaving too. Sure you don't want help?"

Tim nodded as he walked off. "Later."

"Bye Tim!" I called out.

He turned and grinned. "Bye broad!"

I laughed and turned back toward Two-Bit and Dally. "Well, we gonna go meet that gang of yours or what?"


	2. Chapter 1 part 2

Chapter 1 part 2

"Well, we gonna go meet that gang of yours or not?" Two-Bit grinned cheerfully. "Let's go!" We threw our Cokes out as we walked out of the lot. Going down the street, I could hear Socs laughing nearby. A car started, and the sound got louder. Chancing a quick look behind us, I saw a car filled with Socs tailing us. Another car was not far behind. I leaned toward Dally.

"Don't look now, but there's a car following us. Eight Socs, two cars.

Dally stretched lazily, looking around as he did so, even though I told him not to. A moment later, he turned to Two-Bit.

"Two-Bit, there's Socs. Around eight. "

Two-Bit nodded. "We takin' 'em on?

Dally nodded. "Got to. The house is too far away for us to run, and they'd catch us anyway. You got a blade, by any chance?" He turned toward me. I shook my head. He sighed and picked up a bottle, smashing it against the ground.

"Here."

I took it and held it carefully, staying away from the sharp edges. The sound of car engines stopped. We turned around and watched as the Socs got out of their car and advanced toward us. There were ten. Two-Bit and Dally pulled out their blades and flipped them open while placing themselves on either side of me. I looked at Two-Bit's admiringly. A six inch long blade with a black handle, lethal and beautiful at the same time. Dally's was simple, with a blade about five inches long and a brown handle.

"Simple but effective," I thought to myself, then shook my head. "But on who?"

I turned back to the scene in front of us. The Socs were now standing a couple yards away. I sighed. They just had to ruin everything.

"Hey," the one in the lead said, a brown haired one with an overly large nose. "Why you hanging with trash like that? Come with us!" It was obvious he was drunk. I glared at him.

"Why don't you just leave?"

He grinned. "Not leaving without you, babe."

I felt Dally and Two-Bit tense up on either side of me. Dally's grip on his blade tightened, and Two-Bit raised his menacingly. The Soc leered at me.

"Don't I know you?"

I hid a grimace. Of course he knew me. I knew him. It was Bill, my ex. But I couldn't tell him that. Instead I sneered at him and said, "I'd remember you if I had ever met you. Gosh, more monkey then boy." Thank God he was drunk. He would've recognized me otherwise.

The other Socs, none of the rest familiar, watched as Bill slowly advanced. Dally sprang forward, while Two-Bit pushed me behind him. I moved away and watched Dally. His voice was a low growl, barely audible to me.

"Touch her and you're dead, you miserable bastards."

_He was defending me. If only he knew what he was defending. _

The Socs laughed even harder. "Gonna kill us then, grease? Why don't you try?"

Dally looked furious. I could see that Two-Bit was getting pretty worked up too. If this was gonna lead to a fight, well, we'd lose. I knew it for a fact, blades or not. The Socs were just waiting for Dally to do something to give them a reason to kill him_. _He'd better have enough sense to see that, I thought to myself. No such luck, however. Dally lunged forward, swinging the knife at Bill. Dallas Winston and sense. The two definitely didn't mix. But I guess, neither did Socs and greasers.

I leaped forward and grabbed Dally's shoulders. Turning him towards me, I shouted into his face, "Dally, stop it! Do you want to die?" Dally didn't listen. He just turned back toward the Socs, trying to get at them with his fists. I grabbed Dally's jacket, and spinning him around, shook him, hard.

"Dallas!" He turned away again, raising his switchblade. I slapped him across the face.

"Winston!" He looked at me, completely stunned. The Socs burst into laughter.

"Beat by a girl there, huh?"

Fuming, I walked up to Bill and punched him in the nose. It was a good punch. I have had my fair share of minor arguments that got violent. Two-Bit roared with laughter.

"Beat by a girl there, huh?"

Dally grinned crookedly. "I guess I deserved that. Thanks, broad." I smiled at him. "No problem, Winston."

Two-Bit tapped me on the shoulder. "It's not quite over yet. We turned. The Socs were snarling like wild animals, supporting their bleeding leader, Bill. I looked at the blood running out of his nose into his open mouth. Did I do that? I suppressed a smile. Serves him right. One Soc, a curly haired blond rushed forward, punching Two-Bit. Two-Bit pulled his jacket over his head and kicked him in the stomach. The others rushed at us. Dally instantly hit the first in the mouth, nearly knocking a tooth loose. Bill came at me, nose still bleeding. I ducked his swinging arm and brought my bottle down on his head. This was my first actual fight, but I instinctively knew what to do. He grunted as he crumpled to the ground. I looked toward the others. Dally and Two-Bit were both fighting two at once. The blond Soc who Two-Bit kicked was back up and sneaking up behind him again, a bottle raised over his head.

"Two-Bit! Behind you!" I yelled.

He turned. Seeing him, he growled and punched him in the face. I jumped as a fist hit my shoulder, narrowly missing my head. Turning, I pushed the Soc into the fence and kicked him in the stomach. Looking around, I knew that it was hopeless. The Socs were all up, a few bleeding but otherwise unharmed. They formed a ring around us, giving us no way out. Dally, Two-Bit, and I formed a triangle, our backs at the center and blades out and ready, or in my case, bottle. The Socs sneered. They knew we were helpless, blades or not. We were too heavily outnumbered. Glancing at the greasers next to me, I saw that they were ready to fight to the death. I took a deep breath and raised my bottle. The Socs were closing in. Dally and Two-Bit tensed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of pounding feet. I couldn't see over the Socs heads, but they scattered. There were five boys here now, all chasing the Socs, shouting. One of them, I saw, was a large brawny one who looked older than the rest. He was the one who scared the Socs the most. I wasn't surprised. He scared me a little too. Two-Bit and Dally were among the boys instantly, laughing and shoving them. I followed behind, looking at each boy as I went. There was the brawny one I had seen earlier, a good looking one I had seen at the DX before, an tanned one with long bangs, a younger looking one, and one with elaborately swirled hair.

Two-Bit turned and grinned at me cheerfully. "Wasn't really gonna have you meet them this way but Ash, meet the gang. Gang, meet Ash." The boys grinned at me.

"So, this is what you always do? Come with anyone you meet and get in trouble with Socs?" I laughed, feeling at home.

"Of course. I'm gettin' to be an expert."

Dally pointed to each boy one by one. "Ash, this is Darry." The brawny one I had seen earlier. I nodded. "This is Sodapop and Ponyboy." The DX worker and the young one. "They're all brothers. This is Johnny and Steve." The one with long bangs and one with swirled hair. I smiled at all the boys. I liked them already. What would they do if they knew I was the enemy?

We laughed and joked as we walked back to the Curtis house. I learned that the Curtis brothers lived alone, since their parents had died in a car accident. I became friends with Johnny and Pony easily, and I walked with them now.

"So, Ash, you and your parents, you good?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, we're good," I told him. "My sister's a pain though." I grimaced.

"You have a sister?" Pony asked, surprised.

"Her name's Ann. She's a pain." I almost added, "Typical Soc girl", but stopped myself. I couldn't tell them. Instead, I continued walking. Johnny and Pony, sensing that I didn't want to talk about it, changed the subject.

"So you new in Tulsa? Never seen you around before," Pony said. I smiled at him slightly. "We were home schooled. Didn't go out much. I'm starting my first year of real school this year."

"You excited?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. A little."

We walked in silence for a while. Then Ponyboy grabbed my arm.

"Ash, check it out. We're here."

I looked up. The Curtis house was small, but fairly well kept by the three boys. Pony grinned at me.

"It ain't much, but it's home."

I smiled back. "It's fine." We followed Darry and Soda into the house, and Soda immediately went to the kitchen. Moments later, he brought out a chocolate cake. "Cake, anyone?" Everyone cheered, and middle Curtis brother began throwing out pieces. I sat down next to Dally on the couch and looked at him. "I thought you said Soda was depressed?" Dally grinned.

"I said he was down. And besides, he's gettin' over it."

"Why'd you have me come then?"

"Nothing better to do," Dally replied, catching the cake Soda tossed at him and taking a bite. "Cancer stick?" I shook my head.

"I don't smoke." He shrugged and lit one for himself. I caught the cake Soda threw at me and leaned back, eating it lazily. Chocolate cake never tasted so good. "Who made this?" I asked Pony, who was sitting on my other side.

"Darry. His cakes are better than Soda's. His always end up funny. Still nice though."

"I bet," I said, looking up at the clock. "Shoot! It's 11 o'clock!"

"So?" Dally asked.

I stood up. "I have to go. Nice to meet y'all, but it's late."

Dally stood up, along with Two-Bit. "I'll walk you home. Come on, Two-Bit. We might run into some Socs!" They grinned at each other. I rolled my eyes. Boys. Soc or greaser, they loved their fights. So why was I letting them come with me? Because I thought they would understand? Who knows? I know I sure don't.

I walked out of the room, the two boys not far behind. "See ya."

"Bye, Ash!" The boys chorused.

Smiling, I took a deep breath of the cool night air and shivered.

"Cold?" Dally asked from behind me.

"A little." I replied. "I'll be fine." Dally chuckled quietly and put his jacket around my shoulders. I turned. "Aren't you cold?" His arms were bare. He grinned. "I'll live. I'm tougher than you." He didn't know how right he was. I attempted to punch him in the arm.

"Too slow," he said, sidestepping. I shrugged and slipped my arms through the sleeve of his jacket. It was warm, and it smelled good. I inhaled deeply, and sighed. This would all end soon. I sniffed the jacket again. I couldn't quite name what his jacket smelled like, but whatever it was, it was good. Dally caught me sniffing and chuckled again, putting an arm around me. Shrugging him off, I looked around for Two-Bit. "Where's Two-Bit?" I asked, turning around to look at Dally. "Where'd he go?" Dally shrugged. "Dunno. Probably saw some booze and left." I walked slowly, watching the stars. "So, Dally, you got a family?"

"Yeah. Don't like me much though." I could tell form his tone of voice that he didn't want to talk about it. Poor grease. Didn't have parents to go to when he was down. No wonder he was like this. But at least he had the gang. Yeah, he had the gang. I looked at his face, observing his tough features. He looked down at me. I turned away. I could just imagine the smirk on his face as he walked, but I didn't look up. His arm descended around my shoulders again. I pulled away slightly.

"Why do you do that?" He looked at me, puzzled.

"Do what?" I sighed and shook my head.

"Nothing." He grunted and continued walking. "Where ya live?" I sighed. _Here we go. _"Guess you'll find out, won't you?"

We turned onto a nice two-lane street, with fair sized houses on both sides. "You live here?" Dally asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I said. _Stay tough now, girl. _

He stared at me. "You-You're not a greaser, you're a Soc!" He spit the word like it was dirtiest word he knew. Hell, it probably was in his eyes. He looked angry now. "You don't belong with us! Why don't you go back to your nice big house and your loving mommy and daddy?"

_My parents, loving? Far from it. _

"What the hell were you even doing in our territory anyway, Soc? Huh? You wanna spy for your friends? Your rich friends with the nice cars?

I could feel myself getting mad. "Well, sorry for being born into a good family!" I hissed. "And sorry that I came into your life! I just screwed up everything, didn't I? I guess it's all my fault. My fault that I was a the Dingo tonight! My fault that you _made _me come back to meet the gang! My fault that we got attacked by Socs! My fault that we all sat at Pony's house and ate cake! My fault," I could feel my eyes tearing up. _Easy now. Calm down. _I swallowed hard and blinked before continuing. "My fault, that you decided to walk me home! Well, thanks for nothing! I'll see you later…or not." I turned and stomped down the street. When I turned around, Dallas Winston was gone.


	3. Chapter 2

2

Dallas Winston

It was freezing. The night had started out fairly warm, and then just gotten colder. I shivered, goose bumps rising on my arms. The broad still had my jacket too. Shoot. A Soc, that was something completely unexpected. I could see her in my mind's eye. She dressed, talked, even walked like a greaser girl. Minus the huge amount of eye makeup and giggling, of course. In that way, she was different.

I shivered. "Got to run. Got to keep warm," I muttered to myself, speeding up my pace. As I ran, I went over the conversation we had before she had walked away. Maybe it was my fault, I thought. I had gotten mad first…no. She was a Soc. She lied. Just forget about the stupid broad. But she was a looker. I knew that much for sure.

I walked up the porch stairs and into the house without knocking. The whole gang, including Two-Bit was sitting around the room, talking and drinking. I looked at Two-Bit. "Why'd you leave?" Two-Bit grinned. "Thought you'd want some alone time. I saw you with her." I glared at him. "Forget her. She's a Soc." The room went quiet. Finally Ponyboy spoke up. "She's…a Soc? How do you know?" Two-Bit spoke up. "Did she just tell you straight up? Hey Dally, guess what? I'm a Soc!" The gang laughed nervously. "Nah." I said, sitting down. "Her house, ya know? Her whole neighborhood. Soc." Johnny sat up from where he had been laying on the ground. "What'd you do about it?" I shrugged. "What could I do? She lied." Johnny stared at me. "You didn't leave her there alone, did you?"

"For Pete's sake," I said. "Her house was right there. Besides, she's tough."

Sodapop finally spoke up. "Yeah…she's tough. Even though I don't know her too well. Tough and nice."

"Dally," Darry said from the corner. "Can I ask you something?" I didn't say anything. He continued. "Did she actually tell you that she's a greaser?" He stopped and looked at me carefully. I kept up my stony expression. He saw right through it. "She didn't, did she? So she didn't lie to you, really." Johnny looked up at me. "He's right. She didn't lie." I stood up angrily. "This is how the world goes from bad to worse! You let the little lies slip! She's probably back at her nice big house laughing at how stupid we all were!" I walked to the door and flung it open. Everyone was staring at me. I walked out, slamming the door behind me.

***

The night had gotten even colder in the few minutes I had spent inside. And I had forgotten to ask for a jacket too! Unbelievable. I shook my head and walked down the street, bot exactly knowing where I was going. Maybe I should go see if I could get my jacket from Ash's house…nah. She wouldn't let me in anyway.

The sky was dark, it had to be at least one in the morning. Should I go home? I thought to myself. It wouldn't be smart to sleep outside on a night like this, and I definitely wasn't going to Pony's house again…

Suddenly I knew where to go. Buck Merril would let me stay. And even if he didn't, well, I could make him. I smirked and headed toward his place.

***

I woke up the next morning, groggy and disoriented. I went to the bathroom and dunked my head in the cold water, waking myself up. Getting dressed, I walked out of Buck's place and onto the street. Wandering around, I eventually found myself by the Dingo. I went in and sat down, ordering a Coke from a pretty waitress passing by. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and yawned lazily. A giggle mad e me open my eyes. I almost expected Ash, but then I realized she wasn't much for giggling. Instead, Sylvia stood in front of me. Pretty, blond Sylvia. Two-timing Sylvia. I rolled my eyes at her and stood up. "Leave me alone." She watched me, looking hurt. "Dallas, take me back. I want you." I shoved her aside roughly and walked out the door. She didn't follow.


	4. Chapter 3

3

Ash Keagan

"So, do you want to come? It'll be fun."

I looked up. "What? Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Cherry sighed. "You're so strange sometimes, Ash. I said, do you want to come to a movie with me and Bob? Marcia and Randy are coming too. You can bring Bill."

"Oh." I said. "Sure. But me and Bill aren't together anymore."

Cherry looked alarmed. "Gosh, Ash! I'm sorry!"

I shrugged. "It's fine, Cherry. Calm down." Socs. They always overreacted.

She nodded, red hair bobbing up and down. "Okay. We'll pick you up around seven. Bye!" She walked away, back toward Marcia. I waved, and turned around, almost crashing into someone.

"Pony!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know you went here!"

Ponyboy grinned. "Hey Ash. Mind if I walk with you? I know Socs and greasers…" I cut him off.

"Wait, so you know? About me…and being a Soc? And you're not mad?"

Pony smiled. "Course not. Dally freaked a little though, don't mind him." I nodded. The bell rang.

"Well, I'll see you around, Pony. Say hi to the gang for me, will ya?"

"Sure, Ash. Anytime. Bye." He turned around and left.

I walked toward my classroom, sighing. Leading a double life was difficult. Soc at school and at home, greaser on the streets. _One day_, I thought to myself, _this whole deceiving thing's gonna come back and turn my world upside down. Hell, it already has. _But that's what you get when you do this kind of thing. How had I been pulling it off lately? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. People usually don't see your face though. Someone sees a leather jacket, they think greaser. A sweater, Soc. It was that simple. Take the UPS man. You don't really see him and remember him three days later. You just say, oh yeah, UPS guy, because of his brown uniform and truck. It's the same idea. Of course, I couldn't keep it up forever. It was a matter of time before a Soc recognized me. And then? Well, my world as I know it would come crashing down.

It was a good day to see a movie. Warm, but not so sunny that you wouldn't want to be cooped up inside. Yeah, I was excited. It's not like I'd never been in a movie theater before or anything, it's just that I wanted to take my mind off everything. I wanted to forget Ponyboy for a while, and the gang, and Dallas Winston. Just sit down and enjoy a movie. But that's not the way it happened.

***

It was around seven when Cherry and Marcia came to pick me up. Bob and Randy, their boyfriends had gotten drunk, so they came alone. I was in Soc clothes, a sweater and a nice skirt. No throwing a leather jacket over things, no way. What can I say? They'd get suspicious.

When we got to the theater, it was about half full. We found some places near the front and took a seat. There was still a while before the movie started. I looked around, scanning for faces that could possibly give me away as a greaser. There weren't any. Satisfied, I sat back into my seat, relaxing. The movie started, but I wasn't really watching. All I knew was that there was a lot of singing and something about a beach. Some distraction it turned out to be.

I tried to pay attention since Marcia and Cherry were really enjoying it, but failed and decided to take a nap instead. I was just dozing off when heard a voice say, "Ash?"

I whirled around. There, sitting behind me were Johnny and Ponyboy. And Dallas. I forced a smile, avoiding Dally's gaze. He was returning the favor. "Hey." Pony smiled at me uncomfortably, noticing the awkwardness.

"Hey Pony! Hey Johnny!" I tried to smile at Dally, even though it ended up more like a grimace. "Hello, Dallas."

He grunted. "Hey." _Well, at least he said something,_ I thought. Cherry and Marcia were looking at me, surprised.

"Do you know these greasers?"

"Yeah," I told them, not giving any explanation. Cherry opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Johnny grinned at me.

"Wanna go get a Coke?"

"Yeah." I stood up and left with Johnny.

"It's weird being here with us, isn't it?"

"Nah," I said, smiling at him. "I mean, with Dallas, a little bit. But with you guys, I'm fine." We got our Cokes and started back towards the theater. "The rest of the gang, how're they?"

"Ah, they're fine. You being a Soc surprised us all, but none of 'em reacted like Dally did. He'll get over it."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks, Johnny."

Returning to our seats, we found Ponyboy sitting alone with Cherry and Marcia. Johnny looked around. "Hey, Pony, where's Dally?"

"He left," Ponyboy said, scooting over to give us more room. I sighed quietly. I knew he had left because of me. "Sorry, Ash," Pony said.

"It's fine, Pony. Thanks."

We settled back in our seats and continued watching the movie. Suddenly a hand came down on Ponyboy's shoulder and another on mine.

"Okay greasers, that's it."

I turned around. "Two-Bit!" He grinned at me.

"Hey Ash. Fancy meeting you here?" I laughed. He looked at Cherry and Marcia. "Who's this?"

"This is Cherry and Marcia. They're friends from school." I looked at Cherry. She stared at me, then asked,

"How do you know all these greasers?"

"Later," I told her. Two-Bit sat down next to me.

"Where's Dally anyway?"

I shrugged.

"He left. Probably hunting some action―girls, booze, or a fight." Pony said.

"Probably the fight," Two-Bit said cheerfully. "Tim's looking for who slashed their tires, and since Curly saw Dally doing it…does he have a blade?"

"I don't think so. It got busted up this morning."

"It'll be a fair fight then. Dally shouldn't have any trouble with him."

Cherry and Marcia were still staring. "Do you believe in playing rough, or anything?"

"Fair fights aren't rough," Two-Bit said. He went on to explain everything that was rough. I stood up. Johnny looked at me.

"Where ya goin'?"

"I'm finding Dally. I have to talk to him."

"Want me to come with?"

"Nah. Enjoy your movie. I'll be fine." I walked out.

***

I could hear the sounds of a fight as soon as I got out of the movie theater. Walking to the back of the parking lot, I saw the source. Dally and Tim Shepard were locked in a fight, the rest of what I assumed was the Shepard gang surrounding them. I pushed my way to the front and winced sympathetically as Dally took a hit to the ribs. A kid with black hair and dark blue eyes saw me and smirked.

"Whatcha doin' here, Soc?"

The fight stopped. Dally spotted me. Tim grinned.

"Ash! Bein' a Soc today?" I guess he saw the surprised look on my face, because his grin grew wider. "Two-Bit told me about it."

"Oh…okay…" I said, too stunned to say anything else. The gang knew, Tim knew, and Marcia and Cherry probably suspected it. It wouldn't be long before the whole town would know. Dally's voice startled me out of my thoughts.

"Get outa here, broad." His voice was low, dangerous .

I faced him. "No."

"Yes."

"No. I need to talk to you and I'm not leaving until I do."

"You already have. Now leave."

I looked down. "Why do you hate me so much? Because I'm a Soc?"

" Because you lied."

I looked around at the boys surrounding us. They were following the argument, fascinated by this debate they probably didn't even understand.

"I'm sorry I lied."

Dally stared at me, unforgiving.

"Are you going to forgive me?"

"No."

"Well, why the hell not?" I asked, getting mad now. He didn't answer. "What damage has it done? Yeah, I'm a Soc, but only by birth. I hate their way of living, how they're too cool to feel anything, how they jump greasers for kicks." Dally didn't say anything. "With greasers, it makes more sense. They fight, they're tough. But with them, they're fighting society and the way they're treated. Socs…they fight…they fight because they want to. They don't have to, no one does, but…" I trailed off. His voice was blank. I lowered my voice. "You're not the only one who has it hard, Dallas Winston. Think about that." I turned and walked away.


	5. Chapter 4

4

Ashton Keagean

It was only eight thirty. Normally, I would be out with some friends, greaser or Soc, having fun. Today, though, I decided to head home.

When I walked in the front door, I knew immediately that something was wrong. My parents were standing in the living room looking angry. Ann, the stupid brat, stood in the corner, smirking a little. I wanted to hit her. My mom spoke first.

"Where were you?"

I stared at her. "Out."

"With who?"

"Cherry and Marcia," I replied smoothly. _And Ponyboy and Johnny and Two-Bit and Dallas Winston. But you don't need to know that. And I'm not telling you. _

"Cherry called a while ago. She said you left the movie halfway through. She seemed worried. So, Ashton, tell me and don't lie this time. Where were you?"

"I saw some other friends and went with them. I told her that I was going. And I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

My mom looked at me. "And by 'other friends' you mean people like us, correct?" She raised an eyebrow. Ann smirked at me.

_Damn. Damn damn damn. She knew. Cherry told her. She told them all. Stupid Socs. _"So what if they weren't?" I asked. "So what if they're not? They're not that different from us."

"They are trash." I was surprised by the vehemence with which she said it. "Look at them! All they do is fight and smoke and drink!" That's no life! They live and die on the streets. Do you want to be like that?"

"That just shows how much you don't know, Mom. Some kids, some greasers are really smart. Ponyboy," I grinned, thinking about him. "He's so smart. He skipped a grade in school, he's so smart. And his brother Darry, he's really smart too. He would be in college playing football if he didn't have to take care of―" My mom's shrill voice cut me off.

"You know these hoodlums personally? You associate with them?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

"I do not want you to talk to them anymore. Not at all, you hear me, young lady?"

"Make me." I was mad now. Everyone was against me these days.

"You! You dare disobey me?!"

"Yeah. I dare. I'm outta here."

"Fine. Fine, and never come back! I never want to see you set foot in this house again!"

"You won't," I told her. "I'll go pack."

My dad had been silent through this whole exchange. He finally looked me in the eye now. "Ashton…" he sighed. "You're all grown up now. I can't tell you what you can or can't do. You can think for yourself. I don't like these hoodlums any more than your mother. Just…take care of yourself. Promise me, Ashton."

"Of course. I'll be careful, Dad.""

Ann stared at us. "That's it? You're just going to let her go?"

He shushed her. I went upstairs to pack.

***

Freedom at last, I though as I walked down the street, my bag over my shoulder. I wasn't planning on every going home. Finding a place to stay wasn't a problem. Darry would let me stay. As I headed toward the Curtis house, I heard music blasting form a house. Buck Merrill was having a party, I remembered. He had told me about it earlier. I decided to stop by. Buck wasn't my favorite person, bt he had always been decent enough to me. I knocked on the door. Buck answered, looking drunk.

"Oh. Hey there, Ash." He noticed my bag. "Going somewhere?"

"Nah. Crashing at someone else's place.

"You can crash here."

"No thanks. I got a place." This wasn't exactly true, since I wasn't sure that Darry would let me stay, but I didn't want to sleep in Buck's place. "So you gonna let me in or what?"

He moved aside and I walked in. He grinned.

"Wanna dance?"

I headed down the hall to the bedrooms, ignoring him. "I'm putting my bag away."

Opening a door, I was about to toss my bag into the room when I noticed a figure asleep in the bed. It was Dallas Winston. I stared at him, stunned. My bag fell from my hand, causing a thump. He opened an eye, spotting me immediately.

"God Almighty, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm sleeping."

"And I'm finding a place to keep my bag."

We glared at each other for a moment. I looked away first. "You're still mad?" He didn't answer. "I'll take that as a yes." Silence. "Dammit, Dallas, can't you at least say something?" He looked at me, his icy eyes piercing mine. This time, he looked away first. He flipped over, laying on his stomach, face toward the wall.

"You know, back at the theater, if you hadn't walked away…I would've forgiven you." I couldn't see his face. "You're…right. It's not your fault you're a Soc." I sat down on the bed next to him. He turned toward me. "So, we good?"

I was shocked. Dallas Winston was admitting he was wrong?

"Ash? You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we're good."

He gave me a small smile. "So, why do you have your bag?"

"My parents kicked me out."

"Soc? You got kicked out? But you're…"

"Even Socs have their problems, Dally. My mom didn't like who my friends were."

"Greasers." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his hand. "Are you staying here?"

"Nope. Well, maybe as a last resort. I was going to crash at Pony's…you think they'll let me?"

"Yeah. They all like you. It was only me that had a problem with you." He turned away again.

"Hey." I put a hand on his shoulder. "I already forgave you, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Dally turned back toward me. "It's just….I'm sorry, okay?"

"It's okay, Dally."

He sat up. The blankets fell, revealing his bare chest. He grinned as he caught me staring.

"Like what you see?" Dallas Winston was back.

I smiled. "I don't know. Might have to see more before I can decide―" I didn't get to finish. His lips were pressed against mine, warm and surprisingly gentle. He pulled me onto his lap. My fingers were tangled in his hair. Glory. I was kissing Dallas Winston.

The door flew open. I pulled away from Dally. Buck Merrill was standing in the doorway, grinning. "Got lucky, Winston?"

"Yeah. Jealous?" Dally smirked.

"Little bit." He smirked. "I'll leave you two alone then." He walked out, shutting the door behind him. I looked up at Dally.

"I should go." He pulled me close, bringing his face close to mine so that I could feel his breath on my face as he spoke.

"Don't."

"Dally…" He shushed me with a kiss. I pulled away. "I need a place to crash."

"Crash here."

"I'm not sleeping with you!"

"I never said you had to."

"Dally, I'll be back. I'll be at Pony's. You know where to find me." I got off the bed and picked up my bag where I had left it by the door. Dally stared at me.

"Come back soon."

"Tomorrow," I promised. He opened his arms, waiting for a kiss. I laughed. "Tomorrow, Dally. I kiss you again now, and I'll never leave." I heard him mutter something that sounded like 'good' as I closed the door. Smiling, I headed toward the Curtis house.

***

Darry let me in with a weary smile. "Hey there, Ash. You see Ponyboy anywhere?"

"No," I said. "Is he missing?"

"I don't know."

"We should go look for him!"

"Ah, the kid'll be fine," Soda said from the couch where he was sitting. "He'll be back."

Soda was right. Ponyboy stumbled in half an hour later. Darry was furious.

"Where have you been?"

"Me and Johnny fell asleep in the park…lost track of time."

"Do you know how worried we've been?" Darry roared.

Soda spoke up. "Hey, Darry, it's okay. Don't be so harsh."

"When I want your opinion, kid brother, I'll ask for it!"

"Hey, don't bring Sodapop into this," Pony started to say. Darry whirled around and slapped him across the face. The room went silent. Pony looked shock. I stared at them. Darry was stricken.

"Ponyboy, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean―" Ponyboy turned and ran out.


	6. Chapter 5

(It's really short, I'm sorry! Thanks for reading!)

5

Dallas Winston

Somebody was shaking me. "Ash? You're back already?" I muttered, opening my eyes. Buck Merrill's face swam into view. "Oh. Hey."

"Some kids are here for you."

"What?" I got up and headed to the front door, where Ponyboy and Johnny stood, shivering. "Glory Hallelujah. What are you two doing here?"

I listened as they sputtered out their story, about how they had been at the park and Socs had come and attacked them.

"And one of 'em was drownin' Ponyboy, and I didn't know what to do, and…" Johnny said, his voice rising hysterically. Ponyboy was wide eyed, waiting for Johnny to finish. When Johnny spoke again, his voice was baredly above a whisper. "I killed him, Dally. Killed him dead."

I smiled mirthlessly. "He had it coming. Good for you, kid." I looked at Ponyboy, He was dripping. "Ponyboy, are you wet?"

"Y-yes…" His teeth were chattering.

"Glory! Get in here! What were you thinking?" I pulled them inside, leading them down the hall to the bedroom. Finding a shirt, I threw it at Pony. "Put that on. It's big, but at least you won't freeze to death. You ought to know better. Don't you use your head?"

"What are we gonna do Dally? We're wanted criminals now! What are we gonna do?" Johnny was almost hysterical. I took a gun out and handed it to Johnny and pulled fifty dollars out of my pocket. "Take this, it's all I can get out of Merrill right now. Christ, Johnny, don't point that thing at me. It's loaded." Johnny stuck the gun in his pants sheepishly. "Take the three fifteen train to Windrixville. There's an old church on Jay Mountain with a pump in the back, so don't worry about water. Buy a week's supply of food as soon as you arrive, before anyone hears the story. Stay hidden. I'll come up there when I can." I grinned crookedly. "Man, New York's usually the place where ya get caught up in a murder rap." Johnny shuddered. I shut up and messed up his hair. "Get goin'. Oh, and take this." I grabbed my jacket off a chair and tossed it at Ponyboy. "It's cold up there. Take care."

"Sure. Thanks." They ran off. I watched them leave, then went back to my room. Crawling under the covers, I lay there for a while, thinking. The gang would wonder where Ponyboy and Johnny were. So would Ash. I couldn't tell them where they were, they would go after the kids and bring them back. So I would have to keep my mouth shut. I sighed, rolled over, and went back to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

6

Ashton Keagan

I was up at five. Darry wouldn't let me leave the house last night until I got some sleep. When I got downstairs, Darry was sitting on the couch. He looked up when I walked in. "Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Going somewhere?"

"Buck Merrill's place. Dally's down there." Darry raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. "Bye," I told him, walking out.

"Bye. You coming back?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Okay."

I headed down the street for Buck's place, worried. _Where was Ponyboy? He hadn't come home again. Was he okay? _I knocked on Buck Merrill's door. He opened it, grinning when he saw me.

"Where's Dally?"

His face fell. "In the back." He walked away. I headed down the hall to the bedrooms. Reaching Dally's door, I threw it open and walked in.

"Is Ponyboy here?"

"Dally looked up at me, his blond hair falling across his icy eyes. "No."

"Do you know where he is?"

He shrugged vaguely.

"You don't?"

He shrugged again.

"Can you do anything else besides shrug?"

He shrugged, then smirked. "Only worried about Ponyboy, huh?"

"What?" I asked irritated. "Who else should I be worried about?"

"You seen Johnnycake around?"

"No…what are you saying?"

He didn't say anything. I sat down on the bed next to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar object. It was a navy blue sweatshirt. "Hey, isn't this Pony's?"

Dally looked at me, his blue eyes blank.

"It is! Where is he? And Johnny too!"

He stared at me, silent. I was afraid he wasn't going to say anything when he finally said a single word. "Gone."

"Gone? They're gone? What do you mean gone? They ran away?" I was shouting. He turned away. It was as good as a confession. "Well what are you waiting for?" I screamed at him. "Are you gonna help or not?" Dally looked at me.

"What are you getting' all worked up about, broad?"

"Pony and Johnny ran away! And you're just gonna sit here and not help us look for them?"

Dally stared at me for a second, then threw his head back and laughed. "And I figured you as a smart 'un!" He started laughing again. I stared at him, appalled.

"Don't you care? For Pete's sake, Dallas, don't you care about anyone at all?"

He stopped laughing. "Swear not to tell, Ash. No one can know about this. 'Specially not the gang."

"Know what?"

"Johnny and Pony. They're fine. They're in Windrixville in an old abandoned church."

"Well why didn't you mention it earlier?" I stood up. "We've been so worr―" I broke off as Dally pulled me back onto the bed.

"I told you not the tell anyone! You hear? No one!"

"But Soda and Darry…the gang, they…"

"I respect their decision. They wanna come back, they will.

"Dally…"

"Trust me." He smiled and leaned forward, bringing his mouth to mine. I pulled away, standing up.

"I'm going to find them."

"Ash!" he grabbed my arm, pushing me back onto the bed. "Don't. I'm going up there in a couple days. It's too dangerous now. We can't go up there."

"Why not?"

Dally sighed. "Promise me you won't overreact."

"Overreact? Dallas, what happened last night?"

"Johnny and Ponyboy killed a Soc last night."

"What?!" My mouth fell open.

"Now you see why we can't go up there yet? They'll be in more danger. We can't lead the fuzz up there. We need to make them think they're headin' somewhere else. Texas or somethin'."

"Let's go."

"Where we goin'?"

"Curtis house."

"Why? We ain't tellin' them."

"But they need to know the truth!"

Dally rolled his eyes. "The story's gonna be all over the news soon. They'll find out sooner or later."

"But they won't know that Johnny and Pony are okay!"

"You can't tell them, Ash. The more people who know where those kids are, the more danger that'll put them in."

"Fine," I said, standing up. "But can we at least return the sweatshirt?"

The street was nearly deserted. It was six am, everyone was still asleep. Dally took my hand as we headed down the street. I smiled, liking the warmth of his hand around mine. _How weird was this? A couple days ago I hated Dallas Winston's guts. And now, here I was, holding hands with him, kissing him. He had quite a reputation around Tulsa. Hard, tough, hoodlum. And he was. But there was more to him, buried underneath the skin. And I was willing to dig for it. _

Darry was still on the couch when we arrived. Soda was in the kitchen, a glass of chocolate milk untouched on the table beside him. "Hey, Sodapop." He looked up.

"Hey." His gaze went to the sweatshirt in my hand. "That's Ponyboy's! Where is he?" His voice was excited. Darry walked in behind us, hearing Soda's cry.

"What's going on?"

"They got Pony's sweatshirt, Darry! They know where he is! Lookit!" Soda shouted, grabbing the sweatshirt. "Where is he?"

Dally stopped me before I could say anything. "I dunno. Found it in the park this mornin'. Thought it was his, so I brought it over." I could see from the look on Soda's face that he didn't believe a word of it. Darry walked out, only to return a couple seconds later with the morning newspaper, his face distressed. On the front page were Pony and Johnny's faces along with Bob, the Soc they'd killed. My mouth dropped open. I didn't have to fake it. _The news was out already? What if they were caught?_

I looked at Dally, worried. His eyes were widened in feigned surprise.

"They killed someone? My kid brother and Johnnycake?" Soda asked, disbelieving. "They couldn't…would never…" He sat down and began scribbling on a sheet of paper. A minute later, he stood up, handing it to Dally. "Give this to him, Dally. Don't let him or Johnny get caught. And tell them…we miss them. It's not the same without them. Never will be." He paused. "I love those two. They're only kids. Glory Hallelujah, they're just kids." HE broke down and cried. Next to him, tears began streaming down Darry's face.


	8. Chapter 7

7

Dallas Winston

I was speeding up the road to Windrixville. Things had been pretty quiet for the past five days. And the fuzz thought that Pony and Johnny were in Texas. I smirked to myself as I swerved around a bend in the road. There it was, a sign reading: Windrixville. I slowed the car down, then parked the car at the base of Jay Mountain. Whistling quietly, I got out of the car and began heading up to the church on top of the hill. As I neared the church, I whistled a long, low note ending on a high note. No one answered. Then I saw Ponyboy asleep in a corner. I grinned, then nudged him with my foot.

"Glory, where's your hair, kid?" I watched as he yawned and rolled over. He blinked like a startled owl, then exclaimed,

"Hey, Dally!"

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty!" I joked.

"How're Sodapop and Darry? Are the fuzz coming for us? Does the gang know where we are? What…?"

"Hold on," I interrupted. "You know I can't answer all that at the same time. Want to get something to eat? I skipped breakfast and I'm starved."

"You're starved?" Johnny squeaked indignantly as he joined us.

"It's safe?" Ponyboy asked eagerly.

"Yep." I dug in my jacket for a cigarette but found none. "Gotta cancer stick?" Johnny tossed me a package. I lit it, then said, "Police won't come up here. They think you're in Texas. I've got Buck's T-bird parked down the hill." I stopped, noticing how skinny the boys looked. "Goshamighty, ain't you two been eatin'?"

"Yeah," Johnny replied, startled. "What makes you think we ain't?"

I shook my head. "You've both lost weight and are pale. Get out in the sun more. You look like you've been through the mill, both of you." Remembering Soda's letter, I pulled it out from my back pocket. "Here Ponyboy, I gotta letter for you."

"From who?"

"The President, stupid. From Soda."

Ponyboy looked confused. "How did Soda know?"

I sighed. "Ash was over. She decided to give your sweatshirt back to Soda and Darry. We said we found it, but Soda didn't believe us. So he wrote you a letter. And Darry's takin' this mighty hard." He wasn't listening anymore as he unfolded the letter and began to read.

"Why'd you get hauled in?" he asked, stopping and looking at me.

I grinned. "Them boys down at the station know me by now. I get hauled in for everything. Then I let it slip that y'all were headin' for Texas." Taking a drag of my cigarette, I turned back toward the bottom of the hill where the car was. "Well, y'all want somethin' to eat or not?"

At the Dairy Queen, we made sure to order enough food for the three of us. Watching Ponyboy and Johnny eat was amazing. "Slow down. I don't want you gettin' sick." I sighed. "Man, and I thought I was hungry." They didn't listen. I rolled my eyes. "There's all out warfare goin' on between us and the Socs. I've got a gun now…" That got their attention.

"Dally!" Pony gasped. "Those kill people!"

"So do switchblades, don't they?" Johnny gulped nervously. "Don't worry, it's not loaded or anythin'. We had a war council the other day, and the rumble's gonna be tomorrow at the vacant lot." I stopped, remembering the violent street fights of New York. _Those were good times… "_Anyway, if we win, they stay outa our turf. If they win, things stay normal."

"What about Ash?" Pony asked. "Whose side is she on?"

I smiled. "Ours. Just about everyone know she's on the greasers' side. But she's still got her Soc friends. Ya know those two at the movies? They're doin' some spying for us."

Ponyboy froze. Johnny almost dropped his sandwich. "They're spying? Cherry and Marcia are…what?"

"Yeah. They're spying."

"Is Ash fighting with us?" Pony asked. I knew it was just out of curiosity, but it made me angry just thinking about it.

"No. She's not. She doesn't have the experience, and…" _And I don't want her hurt. _I stopped, seeing the knowing grins on Pony and Johnny's faces. "Well," I said, changing the subject. "Y'all can stay up here for a while. Neither of you looks like you. Smart idea, cuttin' off your hair and dyin' it."

Johnny swallowed his mouthful of sandwich then looked up. "We're goin' back. We're turnin' ourselves in."

I stared at him, then swore loudly. "What?"

"I gotta chance of bein' let off. It was self defense. Ponyboy can testify to that. And I'm not stayin' in that church my whole life."

I shook my head. "We get it worse than anyone else, Johnnycake. You sure?"

He nodded. After a pause, he asked, "Are my parents worried?"

"The boys are. Two-Bit was ready to go to Texas."

"But my parents, did they say anythin'?"

"No," I snapped. "What do they matter? My old man don't care about me. " Starting the car, I began driving down the road back toward Jay Mountain.

Johnny looked so hurt after my outburst. I felt a stab of regret and swore under my breath. I knew Johnny cared about his parents and wanted to make up with them. And now he wanted to go back…Frustrated, I growled, "Blast it. Why didn't you turn yourselves in five days ago? Would've saved trouble."

"I was scared," Johnny replied. "Still am."

I scowled. Johnny stared at his feet sadly. I looked at him. "Johnny, I ain't mad at you. I just don't want you hurt. Jail hardens you. I don't want you like that, like me…" I had never talked like this to anyone and I knew it. But Johnny was somethin' else. He was the kid brother, the gang pet. And I…Johnny's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Would you rather have me in hideouts for the rest of my life?"

"I…Oh glory!" I yelled, noticing the smoke billowing from the church. Hearing a door open behind me, I saw Ponyboy hop out. "Get back in here!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Johnny following him. "Damn!" I swore, parking the car. _Those kids..._Running after them, I got to the church in time to see them hop through the window of the burning building. They were inside. I swore again, then ran around to the back where a crowd was gathered. Pushing my way to the front, I saw Ponyboy drop a kid through the window. "Get outa there! The roof's gonna cave in! Forget those kids!" He ignored me, disappearing back into the church. I watched as one by one, the kids landed safely outside. _For Pete's sake, Johnny and Pony, they'd better be all right. Please be all right…_ Then I saw them. Ponyboy leaped out the window. _Where's Johnny? _I grabbed the windowsill, pulling myself through the window Ponyboy had just leaped out of. "Johnny!" I screamed, seeing him struggling. Grabbing his jacket, I dragged him through the window. Johnny groaned, then was still. He was unconscious.

Two men approached us, a stretcher suspended between them. I heaved Johnny into it, wincing as I did so. My arm hurt like hell. "Get this kid to the hospital, now."

"But your arm…" one of them said.

"I'm fine!" I growled, hiding my burnt arm behind my back. They left. I followed them, getting into the ambulance they took Johnny to. Another man was waiting there.

"Sir, you have to lay down. You're hurt as well."

I realized he was talking to me. "What? Oh. Right." I lay down in the stretcher and closed my eyes. Within moments, I was asleep.


	9. Chapter 8

8

Ashton Keagan

We were on the way to the hospital. Darry was driving erratically, running a couple stop signs on the way. None of us cared. We were way too nervous to worry about traffic controls.

The news had arrived ten minutes ago. Darry had barreled out the door, yelling for Soda and I to hurry up. He didn't even wait for the car doors to close before he took off. I could understand. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally caught in a fire? How badly were they hurt? Would they survive? Looking over at Soda's face, I could see the same thoughts were running through his head. Noticing my eyes on him, he smiled slightly, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. I smiled back, keeping my hand in his. "It's gonna be alright, Soda, you'll see."

He nodded, trying to convince himself that it was true. It was a struggle. I wasn't even sure if I believed it.

We must've arrived at the hospital in record time. Soda didn't even wait for Darry to stop the car before he threw the door open and ran out. Darry and I were right behind him. Bursting through the hospital's glass doors, we looked around. Where would they be? Soda's eyes lit up as he pointed at a door hanging open on our left. WAITING ROOM. Running through the door, the first thing I saw was Ponyboy. Soda threw his arms around him immediately, swinging him in a circle. I smiled, letting them have their moment. Turning around, I was shocked to see tears running down Darry's face.

"Ponyboy…" His voice came out husky. Pony stated at Darry, apparently dazed. The brawny man turned away, crying silently.

"Darry!" Ponyboy yelled, wrapping his arms around Darry. "I'm sorry…"

"I thought we'd lost you…" Darry whispered. Soda walked over, joining his brothers in an embrace. Pony turned, seeing me.

"Hey, Ash." He spread an arm wide, grinning through his tears. I felt my own eyes starting to water as I hugged him.

"It's good to see you, Ponyboy."

The four of us sat in the waiting room, waiting for news. Reporters and police showed up, wanting to talk to the three brothers. By the third interview, I could tell that Pony and Darry were getting bored and annoyed. Soda was running around, mimicking reporters and fooling around in front of the cameras. Once he tried to lift a policeman's gun, grinning when he got caught. That made the officer grin too.

After they all left, the hospital quieted down. I was curled up on my chair, struggling to keep my eyes open. Soda was half asleep, lying across five chairs. Darry grinned half-heartedly at me. "It's getting late. I'm going to ask the doctor about Dally and Johnny."

"Okay." I watched as he tried to convince the doctor to tell us about the boys' conditions.

Finally, they told us Dally would be fine after a few days in the hospital. I sighed in relief upon hearing this. He had one badly burned arm, but would still be able to use it.

Johnny, on the other hand, was in critical condition. I teared up when I heard the doctor say that. I didn't want to lose my friend. He was like a brother to me. Johnny was in severe shock, the doctor continued. There were third degree burns all over his body, and his back was broken. "Even if he lived, he'd be crippled for the rest of his life."

"No…" I whispered. "Oh, Johnny…" He couldn't die! What were we supposed to do if he was gone? Looking at the brothers beside me, I could see they were thinking the same thing I was_. What now?_

We headed back to the Curtis house, tired and dejected. Pony had to be carried back into the house by Darry. I collapsed onto the couch, falling asleep immediately.


	10. Chapter 9

It's been way too long. I apologize. But here it is! It's not the greatest chapter, but I wanted to put it up. Enjoy!

(Oh, and I used some direct quotations from the book. No plagiarism intended.)

* * *

9

Ashton Keagan

I hated hospitals. The antiseptic smell of the building made me gag and the white surroundings were garishly bright, giving me a headache. However, it didn't seem to bother Ponyboy and Two-Bit that much as I followed them down the hallway to see Johnny.

As we approached Johnny's door, we were stopped by a nurse. "You can't go in there."

Two-Bit looked at her, unruffled. "Oh? Why not?"

"He's in critical condition. I can't allow any of you to go in that room right now," the nurse replied. She did not look particularly sympathetic towards us, nor did she look like she cared about Johnny's well-being. I didn't like her at all.

"Look here, that's our friend in there," Two-Bit said. "We have to go see him."

"That would not be a good idea," she replied with a sniff.

"Please?" Ponyboy begged, his eyes wide. "Please, we just want to see how he's doing…"

"We won't be in there long," I put in, trying to smile and be polite.

It was at this time that a doctor walked by and heard our pleading. "Let them in," he told the nurse. "He's been asking for them, and it can't hurt now."

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard him say the last part. _It can't hurt now…what was that supposed to mean? Was Johnny…_I could see from Ponyboy's expression that he was thinking the same thing.

The three of us tiptoed into the room, trying not to disturb Johnny's rest. "Hey, Johnnykid," Two-Bit said quietly.

Johnny opened his eyes. "Hey, y'all," he said, trying to smile.

"These guys treatin' you okay?" Two-Bit asked, pulling up a chair. I headed over to the window and pulled the shades open, letting in the sun. Then I sat down next to Two-Bit and Ponyboy.

"Don't…let me put enough grease in my hair," Johnny gasped, his breathing labored.

"Quit talkin'," Two-Bit instructed, "Just listen to us. We're havin' the rumble tonight." His eyes brightened as he said it, and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. Fighting never solved anything. I watched as Johnny's black eyes widened at Two-Bit's statement. He looked worried at the idea of the rumble and I couldn't blame him. I was too.

"Too bad you and Dally can't come. It's our first big rumble, except when we whipped Shepard that one time."

"He came by," Johnny said, speaking despite Two-Bit's instructions.

"Tim Shepard?"

Johnny nodded. "Saw Dally."

I had to smile at that. Tim and Dally had always been buddies, even though they fought all the time.

"You got your name in the paper for bein' a hero, did you know that?" Two-Bit smiled.

"Tuff enough," Johnny managed to say with a grin. His eyes were glowing with pride. The rest of him was pale and tired looking though, and I figured we should leave soon.

"Anything else you want besides hair grease?" Two-Bit asked.

"The book, can you get another?" Johnny asked, looking at Ponyboy.

Two-Bit and I glanced at Ponyboy, identical expressions of confusion on our faces.

"He wants _Gone with the Wind _so I can read it to him," Ponyboy explained quickly. "You want to go the drugstore and get a copy?"

"Sure," Two-Bit replied. "I'll be back. Don't run off." He left the room. Ponyboy sat down in Two-Bit's empty chair.

"Dally's gonna be okay, Johnny," he said. "And me and Darry are okay too."

Johnny understood what Ponyboy meant and tried to smile. Then his face went white.

"Johnny!" Ponyboy and I screamed in unison. "Johnny, are you okay?"

He nodded, his eyes squeezed shut. "It just hurts sometimes…usually it don't, but…" He paused. "I'm pretty bad off, ain't I?"

I didn't know what to say to that. Should I reassure him? It turned out I didn't have to say anything because Ponyboy said, "You'll be okay." His voice took on a fake cheerfulness, and I knew he didn't believe what he was saying. "We couldn't get along without you, Johnny."

It was true. How would the gang get along without Johnny? He was the gang's pet, and we all loved him like a brother. How could we continue if Johnny died?

"I won't ever be able to walk again," Johnny said, almost in a whisper. "Never. Busted my back."

Ponyboy looked at him. "You'll be okay," he said again, trying not to cry, and I had to refrain from sobbing as well.

"You know something?" Johnny opened his eyes. "I used to talk about killing myself, but now I'm scared. It ain't long enough. Sixteen years ain't long enough, guys. I don't want to die, not right now. There's still so much stuff I ain't done, so much I ain't seen yet. It's not fair. You know? That time in Windrixville was the first time I've been away from our neighborhood."

"You ain't going to die," Ponyboy said, his voice determined. "Calm down, else the doctor won't let us see you again."

"You'll be okay, Johnny," I told the boy lying on the bed. He looked like a lost little puppy, with his wide black eyes and dark hair. I wanted to give him a hug, but knew it wouldn't be a good idea.

The same nurse from before walked into the room. "Your mother's here to see you," she informed us, looking at Johnny.

"I don't want to see her," Johnny said, his voice firm.

"She's your mother. Why not?"

"I said I don't want to. She's probably gonna tell me how much trouble I've been and how glad she'll be when I'm dead. Well, tell her to leave me be. For once," his voice cracked, "Just leave me alone!" His voice had been rising steadily and now he tried to sit up. Suddenly he gasped, his face going white, and passed out.

The nurse hurried me and Ponyboy out the door. "I thought something like that would happen."

Two-Bit was coming down the hallway, _Gone with the Wind _in his hand. "We can't see him now," I told him. Two-Bit looked sad, so I took the book and handed it to the nurse. "Give this to Johnny when he wakes up, please." She took it, walked back into Johnny's room and closed the door.

"I wish it was any of us except Johnny," Two-Bit said seriously. "We'd be okay without anyone but Johnny." He turned abruptly and walked down the hall. "Let's go see Dally."

As we walked towards Dally's room, we saw Johnny's mother She was a little woman with black hair and black eyes like Johnny's, only hers were cold and hard.

"_But I have a right to see him. He's my son. After all the trouble his father and I've gone to raise him, this is our reward! He'd rather see those no-count hoodlums than his own folks…"_

She turned and gave us a death glare.

_"It was your fault. Always running around in the idle of the night getting jailed and heaven knows what else…"_

I shivered at her words and let out a sigh of relief as we passed her. "Oh lordy," Two-Bit suddenly said. "Johnny has to live with that." He looked like he wanted to cry. And so did I.

Dally was arguing with a nurse when we walked in, and I had to grin. He was fine. "Man, I'm glad to see you guys! These damn hospital people won't let me smoke in here, and I want out!" He grinned as he saw me. "Hey there, Ash."

"Hey, Dally, "I greeted him, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Shepard came by a while ago," he said, sliding an arm around my waist.

"Yeah, Johnny said so too. What'd he want?" Two-Bit asked.

"Said he saw my picture in the paper and couldn't believe it when it didn't say 'Wanted Dead or Alive'. Rubbed it in about the rumble too. Can't believe I'm missin' that." He sighed, then looked up at Ponyboy. "Kid, you scared me the other day."

"Me? Why?" Ponyboy asked, looking puzzled.

"I thought I'd killed you! I meant to hit you hard enough to knock you down and put out the fire, but you dropped like a bag of bricks. I thought I'd broke your neck. Sure glad I didn't." He grinned.

"I bet," Ponyboy said with a grin of his own.

"Yeah…" Dally hesitated, starting to play with my hair. I could tell he was anxious. "How's the kid doin'?"

"We just left him," Two-Bit said. "He…uh…passed out before we left."

Dally swore as his jaw line went white. "You still got that fancy switch?"

"Yeah."

"Give it to me."

I pulled away from Dally and looked him in his icy blue eyes. "What are you planning, Dallas?"

Dally didn't reply; he just took the blade from Two-Bit. "We gotta win that fight. We gotta get even with the Socs for Johnny." His face was hard as he said it. I knew nothing was going to change his mind now. Dally put the switchblade under his pillow, then lay down and stared at the ceiling. I looked at him.

"Dally…"

"Come on, Ash," Ponyboy murmured from behind me. "It's no use when he's like that."

I sighed and allowed myself to be led away by Ponyboy. _Dally, you better not be planning anything stupid…_


	11. Chapter 10

10

Ashton Keagan

A/N: Sorry guys, but this is a really short, choppy, chapter. I got kind of lazy with all the dialogue, to be honest.

* * *

The walk home was silent for the most part. We were all deep in thought about the upcoming rumble, and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't scared. Ponyboy apparently shared my thoughts.

"Tonight―I don't like it."

Two-Bit tried to shrug it off, calling him a chicken. Ponyboy started to get angry, and I put my hand on his shoulder, rubbing soothingly.

"It's okay, Pony, he's just baiting you."

He sighed. "I know. But I got a feeling that something awful's gonna happen, and I don't like it." He stared down at the sidewalk, not meeting my eyes.

I took my hand off his shoulder. "…I know what you mean."

As we were passing the vacant lot, I saw none other than Cherry Valance sitting in her car, a red Corvette. She looked up at us and greeted us, one by one. "Hi, Ponyboy. Hi, Two-Bit." She looked at me last. "Hi, Ash."

I smiled at her softly. "Hey, Cherry."

Two-Bit walked over. "So what's up with the big times?"

"They're playing your way. No weapons, fair game." She fiddled with her ski jacket strings; maybe it was a nervous habit.

"You sure?" Two-Bit sounded disbelieving.

"Yeah. Randy said so."

"Thanks, Cherry," he said, starting to head home. "You coming, Ash, Pony?"

I cast one last glance at Cherry, trying to communicate with my eyes that I forgave her for tattling on me to my parents. She nodded slightly, her green eyes apologetic. I smiled. "Bye, Cherry. See you later." I caught up to Two-Bit, and we headed home in silence, while Pony stayed behind to talk to Cherry for a while.

The rumble was set for seven o'clock that night. The boys were all getting ready, while I was sitting on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. The radio was cranked up to the maximum volume, courtesy of Steve, but even that wasn't bothering me. I finally looked up as Darry sat down gingerly next to me, his gaze filled with concern. "You okay, Ash?"

I nodded dumbly.

"You're worried." It wasn't a question.

I nodded again. "Of course I am. I'd be stupid not to be."

He patted me on the back awkwardly in an attempt at comfort. "It'll be okay, you'll see. We always are."

I shook my head. "No. I got a bad feeling. So does Ponyboy." I leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I want to help."

Darry looked alarmed. "No! You can't fight, Ash, you'd get ki…" he stopped.

"I'd get killed?" I asked, finishing his sentence for him. "Maybe so. But still, I wanna…"

Soda looked up from his card game. "Dally'd kill you if you fought."

"Yeah, if you weren't already dead," Steve put in.

I sighed. "Then what am I allowed to do?" These boys were being impossible right now, and I didn't want to argue.

Darry thought about it for a moment. "…You can come with us. But you have to stay back. Promise me that you'll stay out of the way."

I nodded grudgingly, knowing that it was the best offer I was going to get. "Okay. I promise."

Tim Shepard and the Brumly outfit were already there when we arrived at the lot. Tim and the Brumly leader came forward to shake hands with each of us, even me. The guy in the Brumly outfit looked me up and down as he shook my hand. "You Dally's girl?"

I shrugged casually. "Guess so."

Tim laughed. "Yep, that's her! Good to see ya, Ash."

"Hey, Tim," I said with a smile, shaking his hand.

"You ain't fightin', are ya?" Even he looked concerned.

"No. No, I'm not. Darry made me swear not to." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, good. Dally'd kill ya."

I smiled wryly. "So I've heard."

He chuckled again and moved on, leaving me alone with my anxiety.

It was starting. Darry was standing at the front of the greasers, tall and broad-shouldered. "I'll take on anyone."

The Socs stared, seemingly afraid. I recognized a couple, but wasn't particularly close to anyone there. I was glad. It would've made things even harder to bear. As I stood there, on the edge of the fray, I couldn't help but be uncomfortable. _This is gonna be bad, this is gonna be bad, this is gonna be so bad…_

A Soc finally stepped up, one I recognized as Paul Holden, a junior in college and an old football player on the high school team. "I'll take you," he said, his voice dripping with confidence.

They began circling, and I felt my heart tighten in my chest. _Don't die, please, don't let anyone die tonight…This is stupid, they shouldn't be fighting…_

"Hold up!" A familiar voice called out all of a sudden. I whirled, recognizing that voice right away. Dally ran up, making Darry turn away momentarily. Paul seized the opportunity and punched him. It had started.

Dally spotted me on the edge of the lot, away from the action. He looked as if he were debating whether to come over or not, before a large Soc was upon him, punching him in the stomach. I winced and almost stepped forward to help him before realizing that Ponyboy and Dally had started working together as a double team. I let out a little shriek as Dally, Pony, and a random Soc I didn't know fell to the ground, cussing and slugging each other. It was chaotic. The greasers and Socs were one massive, writhing group of people, cursing, hitting, and kicking anything and anyone that came into view. One guy had a pipe, and I remembered the 'no weapons' rule.

And then it was all over. The Socs were running. We'd won. Steve was groaning on the ground, Two-Bit's face was streaming blood, and everyone looked like hell. But no one was dead. I sighed in relief, running towards the boys, Dally especially. He grinned weakly when he saw me, his blond hair a mess. I threw my arms around his neck happily, kissing his bruised face. His arms wrapped around my waist gingerly and he brought his lips to mine for a brief kiss. Pulling away, he whispered, "Come on. We've got to go see Johnny." Turning to Ponyboy, he grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him along with us. I stiffened at his words.

"Johnny, is he…?"

"He was gettin' worse when I left! Hurry!"

He didn't need to say anything else. We broke out into a run towards Buck Merrill's T-bird, which was parked in front of the Curtis house. Jumping in, Dally started the car and we roared down the street in a flash of headlights and screeching tires.


	12. Chapter 11

11

Dallas Winston

A/N: Short, depressing chapter. Some quotes directly from the book. Don't own.

* * *

We couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. The police escorting us was a big help, no doubt about that, but even then, I was still thrumming with anxiety. Johnny was all that I was thinking about. All that I could think about, given the present situation. "Get tough like me and you don't get hurt…" I muttered, more to myself than to the other two people sitting in the car. "Look out for yourself and nothin' can touch you…"

I didn't catch the worried glance that Ash sent my way.

We pulled up to the hospital and I braked violently, almost sending me and Ponyboy through the windshield in the process. I didn't apologize. Throwing my door open, I jumped out of the car and began running toward the entrance of the hospital, urging on Ash and Pony as I did. "Hurry!"

We burst through the hospital doors, still going at full-speed. Running through the lobby, it didn't matter that we bowled at least four people over on our way to the elevator. I heard a couple of people yelling at us, but ignored them. They weren't important. All that mattered right now was Johnny.

The hallway was too long. It was as if they had purposely put Johnny's room at the end of the building that was furthest from the elevator. Cursing under my breath, I quickened my pace. Skidding to a stop outside of Johnny's door, I was about to open the door when the doctor walked out, stopping me from going inside. He looked at me, taking in my disheveled, bloody appearance. I was vaguely aware of Ash and Johnny standing behind me, both of them panting from the run. The doctor sighed, and then said those words I had been dreading.

"I'm sorry, but he's dying." He didn't budge from the doorway, and it was apparent that he was still debating whether or not to let us in.

I felt anger flaring up in me and pulled out the switchblade I had gotten from Two-Bit. I heard a barely audible gasp from Ash, but ignored it. "We gotta see him," I told him firmly. "You'd better let us in, or you'll end up on your own operatin' table."

The doctor didn't even flinch. "Go ahead. But it's because you're his friends, not because of that knife." He walked away, seemingly serene.

I blinked, putting the switchblade away. Then I walked inside.

He looked awful. He was lying there on the bed, perfectly still, and for a moment I thought we were too late. An eerie, almost palpable silence filled the air as we continued gazing at the poor dark-haired boy. "Johnnycake?" I heard myself whisper hoarsely. "Johnny?"

He stirred, and I sighed with relief. Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of us. "Hey," he managed to get out.

"We won," I told him immediately. "We beat the Socs and chased 'em outta our territory."

Johnny just looked at me. "Useless… fighting's no good. Don't help no one."

I licked my lips, a nervous habit. "There's still editorials about you in the paper. For being a hero. All us greasers, we're being treated like heroes." I was surprised by how calm I sounded. Maybe the words were coming out a little fast, but they sounded calm. Normal, even. I licked my lips again. "We're proud of you, buddy."

His eyes glowed, and I could almost see a smile tugging at his lips. Then he whispered, "Ash. Good to see you."

She walked up beside me, smiling weakly at him. "Good to see you too, Johnny."

He smiled softly, then addressed the last person in the room. "Ponyboy…"

Ponyboy walked over, joining us by his bedside. He leaned over slightly to hear Johnny speak again; that's how soft his voice was getting.

"Stay gold, Ponyboy," Johnny murmured, his eyes fluttering shut. "Stay gold…" The pillow sunk a little under his head, and the slight rise and fall of his chest stopped. Ash let out a little choked sob and turned away.

I reached out, disbelieving. My hand hovered over Johnny's face, gently brushing hair out of his face. "Never could keep that hair back…you little punk, that's what you get for tryin' to help people…" I felt disconnected from the world, as if this were all happening to someone else. Even my hand didn't feel like my own anymore as I stroked Johnny's hair back. _He can't be dead, he can't be, Johnny, wake up, you little punk, wake…_

_He's dead. _The realization hit me like a sack of bricks, and I staggered back.

Whirling, I slammed myself up against the wall, as if the searing pain shooting through my spine could dull the pain that I was feeling on the inside. "Damn it, Johnny…"

_Don't die, please, don't die… _I slammed my fist into the wall, bruising my knuckles. "Don't die, don't die, Johnny…" I couldn't handle it anymore.

I turned around and bolted out the door.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ashton Keagan

I stared at the doorway in shock. "Dally?" Walking over to the door, I looked outside, staring down the hallway. He was nowhere to be found. I turned back to Ponyboy, who looked just as stricken as I felt. _Johnny was gone. He won't ever be coming back. And now Dally's gone off somewhere… _I suppressed a sob and pulled myself together, smiling weakly at Ponyboy. "Let's go, Ponyboy. W-we should tell the gang what happened."

He nodded dumbly, and then walked by me, his head down. I cast one last glance at Johnny, his frail body laying in that hospital bed, his dark hair a stark contrast to the white sheets. Gulping, I followed Ponyboy, closing the door quietly behind me.

_Goodbye, Johnny. _

Dally had taken the car, so we had to walk home. It was a silent walk, neither of us speaking. We were still in shock from everything that had occurred tonight. _The rumble… Johnny… Dally… _I sighed. What was going to happen to us? How would the gang react to the news of Johnny's death? Where was Dally? The questions whirled around in my head and I struggled to sort out my thoughts. I needed to calm down so I could think straight. So far, it wasn't working.

The gang was in the living room when we finally arrived at the Curtis house. Steve was lying on the sofa, his side bandaged and his shirt unbuttoned. Soda had a cut lip and a bruise on his cheek. He was sprawled on the ground next to Darry, who had a black eye and a Band-Aid on his forehead. Two-Bit was perched on an armchair, half of his face taped up. Everyone looked like hell, lounging around and smoking. They looked up as we walked inside.

"Where have you two been?" Darry asked, jumping up. He sounded distinctly angry. Then he caught the dazed expressions I'm sure Ponyboy and I both had. "What's the matter?"

Ponyboy swallowed, then whispered, "Johnny… he…"

I looked up, meeting his eyes when it became apparent that Ponyboy wasn't going to finish the sentence. "Johnny's… dead."

"We were just telling him about beatin' the Socs," Ponyboy put in quietly. "And he just… died. Just like that."

Everyone was silent, processing the information. Then Soda broke the silence with a small, choked-up sob. Two-Bit closed his eyes, his teeth clenched. For once, he wasn't cracking any jokes.

Ponyboy spoke up again. "Dallas is gone," he murmured. "He ran out right after. He's gonna blow up, he couldn't take it."

I knew it was true. Dally had loved Johnny. He had been one of the few things that he had cared about. _Where was he? What's he going to do now? _I wondered anxiously as Two-Bit spoke.

"So he finally broke. So even Dally has a breaking point." It was what everyone was thinking.

Next to me, I noticed that Ponyboy was shaking. "Hey, Pony, you okay?" I asked, looking at him.

"Ponyboy, you look sick," Soda said softly. "Sit down."

Ponyboy shook his head, backing up. "I'm okay."

Despite his words, everyone in the room knew he was lying. He looked ill, as if he would fall over any minute. His face was flushed, and I was sure that he was giving off a little too much body heat.

Darry, his brow creased in worry, started approaching him when the phone rang. Darry hesitated, then turned toward the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" He listened for a moment, then hung up quickly. "It was Dally. He phoned from a booth. He's just robbed a grocery store and the cops are after him. We gotta hide him. He'll be at the lot in a minute."

Listening to Darry, I felt my heart sink in my chest. _Dally, you idiot. What the hell are you thinking? _I turned towards the door, and we left the house running.

We reached the lot just as Dally came sprinting in from the other end. I could hear sirens in the distance, quickly approaching where we were. A police car pulled into the lot with a squeal of tires, the doors slamming as armed policemen jumped out. Dally reached a streetlight a hundred feet from where we were. Skidding to a halt, he turned back towards the police and pulled something from his jeans. I recognized it as a gun a moment later and almost screamed, covering my mouth in horror. _That IDIOT!_

Dally raised the gun slowly, pointing it toward the approaching officers.

"Dally!" I screamed, running forward. "Dally, no! Don't― no!" I reached him, throwing my arms around him and clinging to his body desperately. He still had the gun raised, his finger on the trigger. The policemen were fast approaching, their weapons raised in defense.

I could feel Dally's heartbeat thumping steadily in his chest_. If that heart stopped beating…_ "I don't know what I'd do without you!" I sobbed into his shoulder. _Goshalmighty, was I crying? _I stopped and looked up into Dally's eyes. They were cold, blue, and blank. "Dally…" It was no use. He was lost to the world.

Shots rang out. I pushed Dally to the ground roughly, landing on top of him. A tear slid down my face, landing on his cheek as I sucked in a ragged breath, getting my heaving sobs under control. "Winston, I know your life sucks and has since you were born and I'm sorry." I said, barely managing above a whisper. I cleared my throat and continued. "I'm sorry that Johnny's dead and I'm sorry I took your suicide attempt away from you." I paused again. "But you listen to me right now and you listen good. There's still good in this world. You have friends, and you have people who love you and would miss you if you were dead right now. I know the gang would miss you. And…" Here I stopped again, nervously wiping away a stray tear. "…I would too, 'cause I love you more than anything. If you died, I would die." My voice was back at a whisper, the confession barely audible to even me. He stared up at me, silent and unmoving. I lowered my head and kept talking, my voice getting a little stronger. "You may be a stupid, impulsive bastard, but you're my stupid, impulsive bastard, and that's how it's going to stay because you're not dying here under this streetlamp. You hear?" Dally continued staring up at me. I finally worked up enough courage to look him in the eye, giving him a small, hopeful glance.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he whispered hoarsely, "I hear."

I smiled through my tears.

He reached up to wipe one away. "…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close. "I love you too," he admitted in a whisper. My heart soared at his confession, and I started crying again. But this time, it was out of joy. He chuckled quietly, brushing his thumb across my face, wiping away the tears. And then we were kissing, both of us lost to the world as the gang crowded around us, whooping with delight.

The click of fancy leather shoes brought us crashing back down to reality all too quickly. The police were coming. "Blast it," Dally muttered. I rolled off of him as he got to his feet. He took my hand and we turned to face the fuzz together, the gang backing us up. Together. With the gang. The words filled me with complete joy. My family might've disowned me, the Socs might not look me in the eye, but I was with Dally and the gang. And that was all that mattered.

I didn't hear what Dally was saying to the police. I know he got let off with only a few days of jail time, which compared to other punishments, was nothing at all. "See you later," Dally called back to me with a wink as he was led away by the officers. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. See you."

* * *

I walked into the police station cheerfully. My leather jacket was at home; instead, I was wearing a nice skirt. The officer at the desk didn't even look up. "Down the hall, Miss." I smiled at him and followed another officer down the hall.

Dally was waiting at the door, grinning at me. The officer unlocked the door and gave me a tight-lipped smile. "Careful, Miss."

I almost laughed aloud. _Careful of what? Dallas Winston? My boyfriend? _

Dally slipped an arm around my waist and we walked out of the police station without a glance back.

Two-Bit was waiting at the curb with his car. He grinned as we climbed into the backseat and started the engine. "How was your stay, Dally?"

"Could be worse," Dally replied, grinning. 'No cancer sticks though."

"Shame," Two-Bit said as we started home, whistling as he drove. "Mind if I stop at the store? We need chocolate milk." He pulled into the parking lot.

"I'll get it," I told him, hopping out of the car.

"_We'll _get it," Dally corrected me, following me into the store. I smiled as he took my hand and headed toward the back of the store where the milk was.

I was about to pick up a bottle when I saw a familiar reflection in the glass of the refrigerator. I turned around. My dad looked at me uncomfortably. "Ashton. You've grown." He looked at Dally, back to me, then at our intertwined hands. He nodded at him. Dally nodded back. My dad looked back at me. "Careful, Ashton. I don't want you hurt."

I nodded. "I know."

He looked at Dally again. "You take care of her, you hear me, young man?"

Dally's mouth turned up at the corners. "I plan to."

My dad smiled, waved half-heartedly, and left.

Dally turned to me. "You and your folks, you good?"

I shrugged. "Better, I guess." We walked up to the front to pay for our milk. I was sure that my parents would forgive me eventually. My dad had already started to. And he liked Dally all right. "You got my dad's approval, that's for sure."

"I did?" He asked as we left the store.

"Yeah. He likes you all right. I can tell."

"That's good. I won't feel guilty for this then." He put his arms around my waist and kissed me, nearly lifting me off the ground. Two-Bit honked. I felt Dally smile against my lips and we broke apart, getting into the car. We pulled out of the lot with a squeal of tires and headed back to the Curtis house. Back home.

* * *

A/N: So that's it! I'm so sorry; I was getting lazy by this point. And I was starting to lose my inspiration for this fic, which is why the ending sucked. Oh well. It's over now. Thanks for putting up with my inconsistent updates and overall laziness; I really appreciate it. And thank you to all of you who reviewed/favorite! Makes me happy. And thanks to all of you who read this story. I'm happy to say that the first fanfic I ever put up here is finally finished. Whew. All right then. Bye-bye~!


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